Make your walking stick handle/end cap first so the metal forming is finished, then apply the resist and etch the part last. Then you won't have to worry about bending the metal after the image has been etched.

I ran across this description of circle arcs vs ellipses in cutting holes for sinks in counter tops. In this case, the difference between a true ellipse and a 4-part circle arc path will result in a slightly different cutout that can result in a significant/noticeable sink fit error. I found the referenced graphic useful for understanding how these circle-arcs can be pieced together to approximate non-circular objects.See the discussion in tip #5 at http://www.lambentdesert.com/tips.htmlThe graphical example discussed above is at:https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b...The red path at the bottom is an actual ellipse, while the blue path is composed of the 4 circle arcs merged together. The black and white portion shows the 4 overlapping circles, and how the 4 circular segm...

I ran across this description of circle arcs vs ellipses in cutting holes for sinks in counter tops. In this case, the difference between a true ellipse and a 4-part circle arc path will result in a slightly different cutout that can result in a significant/noticeable sink fit error. I found the referenced graphic useful for understanding how these circle-arcs can be pieced together to approximate non-circular objects.See the discussion in tip #5 at http://www.lambentdesert.com/tips.htmlThe graphical example discussed above is at:https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b...The red path at the bottom is an actual ellipse, while the blue path is composed of the 4 circle arcs merged together. The black and white portion shows the 4 overlapping circles, and how the 4 circular segments (bottom of the top circle, outer sides of the two middle circles, and top of lowest circle) outline the dark area that only approximates the ellipse.